The news wire Agence-France Presse (AFP) reported on Monday that polygamy is on the rise in Syria, in part because so many men are being killed in the fighting, or being arrested or forced into exile.
The report quotes women and men in Syria who have recently become involved in polygamous marriages because of the war.
It also cites official figures saying that polygamous relationships registered in Damascus have increased six-fold since 2010.
As the AFP report points out, polygamy was around before Islam, and in the Muslim world, the practice is fairly uncommon.
Today, most countries in the Middle East and North Africa recognize the legal status of men who have multiple wives. The major exceptions are Israel (a majority Jewish nation), Turkey (where polygamy was outlawed in 1926), and Tunisia, where one Islamist political group is fighting to legalize it.
So what exactly does the Quran say about Islam?
In short, it’s allowed—but only under specific conditions. One of the most important verses in the Quran concerning polygamy comes in the fourth chapter, which is titled “The Women.”
“If you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphans, then marry those that please you of [other] women, two or three or four,” says the third verse in this chapter, or sura. “But if you fear that you will not be just, then [marry only] one or those your right hand possesses. That is more suitable that you may not incline [to injustice].” (4:3)
This verse appears to quite clearly permit a man to marry up to four wives, but only if he’s the guardian of orphans and feels he cannot take care of those orphans in a fair manner without a woman, or mother figure, present.
Later in sura 4, the Quran says, “You will never be able to be equal [in feeling] between wives, even if you should strive [to do so]. So do not incline completely [toward one] and leave another hanging.” (4:129)
This verse is typically taken to mean that if a man has multiple wives, he must treat them fairly.
So, yes—marrying multiple women is allowed in Islam, under limited circumstances.
But don’t forget the important context in which polygamy is permitted.
As pointed out by Search for Common Ground, a non-profit organization devoted to ending violent conflict, the fourth sura of the Quran was written in the early 7th century CE, when Islam was a young, embattled religion.
The fourth sura was “revealed” after the Battle of Uhud between some of the world’s first Muslims and other inhabitants of Mecca, Search for Common Ground writer Alia Hogben points out here. The battle left some women without husbands and some children without fathers.
“It is a verse about compassion towards women and their children; it is not about men or their sexuality,” Hogben notes.
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